My First 2025 Pen & Ink Sketch: a Peony

To get back into my groove with pen & ink sketching, I thought I was going to draw something simple like a piece of fruit. Or maybe sketch some objects and fill them in with color. That did not happen.

I dove right in and sketched a quick flower. I started my peony drawing with a pencil and used my Copic pen (0.1) to draw the final lines/shapes I wanted to keep.

I already knew what inky color I was going to use for the flower: Persian Princess. I drew a few lines around the shapes or darker areas and used my water brush to pull out the first layer of color. I let this layer dry completely before creating the next layer of color.

I’ve applied the next two layers of color to my peony to give the petals a bit more depth and some shape or curves. While I wait for my flower to dry, I work on the stem and leaves using Prairie Green and for the center of the flower I use Heart of Gold.

I’m calling this my final sketch and have to stop myself from adding more layers of colors. Less is more.

I’m not sure what I’m going to sketch next. Sometimes I go through my pictures or walk through our gardens and that special “creative feeling” will hit me. I trust my gut instincts and go with that energy flow and get lost in my creative moment for an hour or two. Life is very good.

Shimmering Inks: Robert Oster Heart of Gold, Van Dieman’s Ink Persian Princess, and KWZ/Galen Leather Prairie Green

Pens: Franklin Christoph 02 Intrinsic Prototype with Nagahara Fine Cursive Italic nib and Copic Multiliner SP (0.1) with pigment ink

Journal: Stillman & Birn Alpha Softcover A5 (5.5″x8.5″)